Inking fountain



Filed August 15, 192: 2 Sheets- -Sheet 1 Jan. 5 192s. 1,568,299

D. STEVENS HIKING FOUNTAIN Filed August 15, 1923 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Jan. 5, 1926.

UNIT-ED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

BURT D. STEVENS, OF EVANSTON, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO IEIIEHLE ERINTING PRESS & MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLI- NOIS.

INKING FOUNTAIN.

Application filed August 15, 1923.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, BURT D. STEVENS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Evanston, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Inking Fountains, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a new and improved ink fountain and more particularly to an apparatus for controlling the flow of ink from the fountain clmn'iber upon the fountain roll.

The invention has been shown as applied to the type of fountains which consist in an ink holding box or chamber, the bottom of which is closed by the upper portion of the fountain roll. This roll has a slight clearance from the box sides and carries upon its surface a film of ink which is passed on to a distributor roll or rolls by means of which the ink is applied to the printing surface. With fountains of this character it is necessary to provide means for accurately adjusting the clearance between the lower edge of the fountain wall or the knife carried by such wall and the roller. This clearance determines the amount of ink applied to the roller and thus directly controls the amount of ink applied to the printing surface.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved ink fountain having means for accurately controlling the ink discharge clearance.

It is a further object to provide means of this character in which a portion of the ink chamber wall is pivotally supported and may be moved about its supporting pivot to vary the ink discharge clearance.

It is an additional object to provide means of this character in which the chamber wall is provided with adjusting mechanism at a plurality of points, and in which the wall is yieldingly held against the adjustment control means.

Other and further objects will appear as the description proceeds.

I have illustrated a preferred embodiment of my invention in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is aside elevation of the improved ink fountain with a fragmentary portion of the press to which it is applied;

Serial No. 657,471.

Figure 2 is an end view as seen from the left end of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a section taken on line Ii--3 of Figure 1; and

Figure 4 is a fragmentary section taken on line 4 4 of Figure The standards 11 and 12 are secured to the opposite sites of the press bed 13. The end walls 14 and 15 of the ink chamber are secured to the upper portions of the stand-- ards 1.1 and 12. The fixed sides 16 and 11' are secured to the ends 14 and 15 by means of bolts 18. The adjustable inner sides or blade carrying frames 19 and 20 are piroted to the ends 14 and 15 by studs 21 as shown in detail in Figure The; ink control blades 22 and 23are secured to the lower edges of the side members 19 and 20.

The fixed side members 16 and 17 are provided with the adjusting screws 24 having lock nuts 25, the inner end. of these screws bearing against the swinging blade holding members 19 and 20. The side members 16 and 17 are also provided with the recesses 26 which face towards the overhanging flanges 27 and 28 of the members 19 and 20. These recesses 26 contain springs 47 which bear against the adjacent flanges. The compressive strength of these springs 26 is controlled by moving the bearing plates 48 by means of screws 29 provided with lock nuts 30.

The fountain roll 31v closes the lower side of the fountain chamber and is provided with thejournal 32 adjustably fitting in the bearing member 83 in the standard 11. This journal block 33 may be adjusted vertically by means of the capstan headed screw 34. The opposite end of the inking roll is similarly supported, the end 35 of the roll shaft being provided with the gear 36 which is here shown as meshing with the driven gear 37. This gear 37 is shown upon stub shaft 38 which also carries the drive sprocket 39.

The inking roll 40 is carried upon shaft 41, the ends of which fit into the blocks 42 as shown in Figure 2. These blocks 42 are supported upon springs 43 and may be ad-' justed downwardly by capstan screws 44. It will be understood that the fountain roll and inking roll are so adjusted that their surfaces are in contact. As shown in Figure 1, the member 45, carrying the plate 46, is movable upon the bed or the press in such manner as to carry the plate 4:6 into and out of engagement with the roll a0.

In the adjustment of the ink chamber side members 19 and 20, carrying the blades 22 and 23, the screws A are moved inwardly or outwardly such an amount as is desired and then locked in place by means of the lock nuts 25 associated with the screws. This movementof the screws causes the members 19 and 20 to pivot about their supporting studs 21 if swung inwardly to compress the springs 47. If the adjustment con sists in the loosening or witluh'awal of the screws 24, the springs at? cause the members 19 or 20 to follow up closely and contact with the ends of the screws 2%.

The compressive force of the springs 47 may be controlled by adjusting the screws 29. By means of a plurality of screws 2% spaced along the length of the blade carrying members, as shown'in Figure l, the location of the blade in relation to the foun tain roll may be accurately controlled at a plurality of points throughout its .Vill.

v hile the fountain mechanism in een shown associated with an ink distributing means consisting of a single inking roll, it is obviously adapted for use with fountains usin a plurality of rolls for ink distribution and with other types of fountains. I

contemplate such modifications and changes to adapt it for use with other constructions as come within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. An ink fountain comprising a fountain roll, an ink controlling blade, pivoted supporting means for the blade, said blade and supporting means comprising a wall of the fountain, an outwardly extending flange on the blade supporting means, a frame holding the pivot-s of the blade sup1t orting means, compression springs carried by said frame and engaging the flanges of the blade supporting means to urge the blade away from the roll and adjustable means engaging the body of the blade support to move it toward the roll.

2. An ink fountain comprising a fountain roll, a pair of oppositely faced ink controlling blades, pivoted supporting means for the blades, said blades and supporting means comprising opposite walls of the fountain, outwardly extending flanges on the blade supporting means, a fountain frame, compression springs carried by said frame and enga l the under sides of the flanges of the blade supporting means to urge the l l'lti-l away from the roll, and adjustable engaging the body of the blade supto more the blades toward the roll. ned at Chicago, Illinois, this 8th day of August, 1923.

BURT D. STEVENS. 

